Perhaps with Leo Messi as the face of Michelob Ultra, it was only a matter of time before the light lager achieved GOAT status.
The Anheuser-Busch beer has overtaken rival Modelo Especial in U.S. retail sales by volume for the year-to-date ending on Sept. 14, according to data from Circana seen by CNN.
In a press release Monday, Anheuser-Busch attributed the momentum partly to the successful launch of Michelob Ultra Zero, a non-alcoholic version of the beer.
It’s quite the achievement for the brewer, which faced backlash from conservatives and liberals alike over a partnership with a transgender social media influencer that tanked sales of Bud Light and dethroned it as the top-selling beer in the United States, leading Modelo Especial to take its place in 2023.
The success of Modelo, as well as Corona, seems to have cooled in 2025, partly because of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Constellation Brands, the beers’ parent company, warned in April that the president’s deportation push was spooking Latino customers and hurting beer sales.
About half of Constellation’s U.S. customers are Hispanic, and some have stopped going out to restaurants and gathering in large groups out of fear of being swept up in deportations, CEO Bill Newlands previously said.
Michelob Ultra’s success is a bright spot at a bleak time for the industry: Retail beer sales for the first half of 2025 fell nearly 5% year over year to $34.7 billion, according to a recent analysis from Fintech and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.
Michelob Ultra’s growth can partly be attributed to increased spending on marketing, including on marquee sporting events, like the previous FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 World Cup taking place next summer in the United States. Last year, Michelob Ultra surpassed Bud Light in its share of U.S. draft lines at bars and restaurants.
